Railway-switch thrower.



H. R. HARDING. RAILWAY SWITCH THROWER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1914.

1,099,036, Patented June 2,1914,

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H. R. HARDING. RAILWAY SWITCH THROWER. APPLICATION FILED APR.9, 1914,

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Patented June 2, 1914.

0.. WASHINOTO HIRAM R. HARDING, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA;

RAILWAY-SWITCH THROWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Application filed April 9, 1914. Serial No. 830,731.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HIRAM R. HARDING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switch Throwers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to street railway switch throwers, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide reliable and efficient means, of simple construction, which may be operated by the motorman for throwing a switch without leaving the cab in front of the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the motorman may insert a switch knife through an opening in the floor of the car immediately above the switch point and throw the switch, means being provided for rendering the switch point visible to the motorman, and means being provided to automatically close the sight opening when the switch has been operated or thrown, and the switch knife removed.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view taken immediately above the floor of a street car and showing the floor in plan and the hinged covers for the sight openings and for the aperture through which the switch knife is operated. Fig. 2 is a plan view on a larger scale, of a portion of the motormans cab of a street car showing the cover for the sight opening and for the switch knife aperture partially swung upon its hinges and showing a switch point connected to a fragmentary portion of the railway track. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the metal frame which provides the sight opening through the floor of the car and forms a support for the switch knife. Flg. 4 is a side elevation of the switch knife partially broken away. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the switch knife sup ported in the frame in position for use, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view showlng the cover thrown upward on its hinges and the switch knife in position for throwing the switch, said switch knife being broken away.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the floor of an ordinary street car or an electric interurban car of the usual construction and 2 is the motormans cab or platform.

It will be obvious that my invention may be utilized in connection with any character of street car in which switches are to be 0 erated by the motorman. It has been t e common practice for the motorman to take the switch knife and alight from the car to throw the switch and then return to his cab. This invention is designed to obviate the delay necessary in requiring the motorman to alight from the car and throw the switch by hand.

At opposite ends of the car a somewhat rectangular opening is made in the floor of the motormans cab at either the right hand side or both sides of said cab, and fitted into said opening is a frame indicated generally by the numeral 3. The frame 3 is provided with a curved extension 41 and said frame and extension are fitted in an opening in the floor, said frame being substantially the same height as the thickness of the floor, so that the upper and lower edges will lie flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the floor. Integral attaching lugs 5 are formed on the frame 3, and these lugs are provided with screw holes for the attaching screws. The extension 4 is provided with a slot 6 to receive a supporting plate 7 for the switch knife, said supporting plate being fitted in grooves in the opposite side of the extension 4, as shown in Fig. 5. A cover 8 is connected by means of hinges 9 to the frame 3, said cover having an extended p0rtion 10 which covers the plate 7 and fits over the extension l. This cover is supported upon a lug 11 projecting inwardl from the frame 3, said cover lying flush wit the upper surface of the floor.

The switch knife is provided with a h andle 12, provided with a shank 13 having an enlarged portion 14.- provided with a shoulder 15. A washer 16 is mounted on the reduced portion 17 of the switch knife, and interposed between the sliding washer 1 6 and the shoulder 15 is a spiral spring 18. The end of the switch knife is provided with a flattened or wedge-shaped member 19. The switch knife may be kept within the motormans cab in position to be readily utilized by the motorman, and the extension 10 of the cover 8 when pushed down by the switch knife opens the sight opening a, and the washer 16 rests upon the supporting plate 7, the switch knife extending through the opening 20 with the flattened portion 19 in position to engage the switch point 21, which can be readily seen through the sight opening a. The spring 18 and the washer 16 support the switch knife yieldingly and permit the same to be moved in any direction by the motorman. T he spring also sustains the switch knife with its lower end slightly above the switch point so that injury "is avoided when the switch knife is not being operated by the motorman.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that this invention obviates the delay incident to the ordinary practice of throwing the switch point by means of a switch knife which must be carried out of the car by the motorman for throwin the switch, and must be carried back to the car before he can again start the car. By means of this invention the motorman can instantly operate the cover by the point of the switch knife and open the frame to give him a clear view through the sight opening a for using the switch knife in throwing the switch.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

"What is claimed is:

1. A railway switch thrower comprising a frame fitted in an aperture in the floor of a car in vertical alinement with a switch point, a cover for said frame lying flush with the upper surface of the floor, said cover being hinged to the frame, and a switch knife provided with a yielding support adapted to swing the cover upon its hinges and to open a sight opening and to permit the switch knife to throw the switch.

2. A railway switch thrower comprising a frame having an extension, said frame being fitted in an aperture in the floor of the car and provided with a hinged cover, an apertured supporting plate in the extension in the frame in combination with a switch knife having a washer mounted to slide thereon, a shoulder on the switch knife, a spring mounted intermediate the shoulder and washer, said frame being provided with a sight opening when the cover is swung on its hinges.

3. A railway switch thrower comprising a frame mounted in an opening in the car floor, a door hinged to said frame to expose a sight opening when swung upon its hinges, and means to yieldingly support a switch knife in said frame.

4. In a device of the character described the combination of a frame fitted in an opening in a car floor, a cover hinged to said frame and adapted to expose a sight opening when swung upon its hinges, means for yieldingly supporting a switch knife in said frame in position to throw a switch when manually operated.

5. In a device of the character described the combination of a frame fitted in an open ing in the floor of the car, a cover hinged to said frame, means for yieldingly supporting a switch knife in said frame, and a switch knife provided with a sliding washer, a shoulder, and an interposed spring encircling the knife.

In testimony whereof I a fiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HIRAM R. HARDING.

Witnesses E. G. MooRnrmLD, M. S. BRAUCH.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

